Why did I decide to take part in the World Race? Well here, let me tell you…
As you may know from the about me section, I currently work for State Farm as a claims adjuster, answering phone call after phone call, day after day, week after week. Every day I would get home from work and I am mentally drained and feel like doing nothing but staring at the back of my eyelids. I would constantly sit at work and try and figure out what the heck I was doing and what else is out there. After never finding any answers on my own, I decided it was time to ask someone who does have some answers…
I asked God, "God. Show me what you want me to do, because I have no idea what I'm doing, or what I want."
When I first started at State Farm I met a lot of new people because the training class I was in had about 50 people, and the training class that started a couple of months before us had around 40 people and their room was right next to ours. We interacted with the other class quite a bit and they were able to give us some pointers and tips on what was ahead for us. In conversing with the other class I was able to create friendships with 3 of the most amazing people I've ever had a chance to meet. Their names are Bisserat, Tyler & Rebecca. They are now what I would consider three of my closest and best friends and they all have something in common, a great relationship with our LORD. I did not have that when I first met them. I was lost and ignorant of what being a christian truly meant. Through spending time with them I realized that God was using them to show me the true definition of christian. They showed me how to care for others, how to love others the way the God loves us, how to seek God first, how to give everything to HIM and not try doing it on my own because I can't. They challenge me and hold me accountable for my actions when others will not. God used them to teach me how to live, because I certainly was not living before them.
In being close friends with them they pretty much know how I feel about most things. One of those things being that I can't stand sitting in a cubicle all day doing something that really doesn't matter while there are countless amounts of people out there who are like I was, with a blasphemus concept of what a christian is, how to live, or even worse, have never even heard of JESUS!! I had to do something about it rather than just sitting there all day being miserable and imaging something better.
My friend Becca sits in the cubicle directly accross from me and we talk back and forth a lot. One day she sent me an email with a list FULL of websites for people that want to teach overseas, do mission work, or just make a change. I eventually made it through all of the links but you know how when you get a list of things you always skim through and click on the ones that sound or look the most inticing??? NO? JUST ME?! I doubt that….Well any how, that is what I did…The first link that I clicked on was about 3 quarters of the way down the list and it was THE WORLD RACE. I clicked on the link and spent the rest of my next two days reading blogs and watching videos. I thought to myself, "This looks miserably uncomfortable and extremely challenging." So naturally, I applied. I prayed over and over to God asking him if this was something that he wanted me to take part in. I had my interview, it went great, and I continued to pray…
A week passed and I got a phone call letting me know that I had been accepted to the World Race!! It was complete jubilation. The only problem was I was not absolutely sure I had confirmation from God on whether or not he wanted me to participate on this particular World Race. I was pretty sure this was what he wanted, but was it just that I wanted to go so bad that I was possibly blocking out what God wanted? A few short days later, I received my answer.
I was pretty positive I was going to go. First thing's first, I needed to tell my parents. Well for those of you that don't know, my parents are super old-school, especially my dad. What makes them proud of me is working 50 hours a week and receiving a steady paycheck. Carl Bedford is an incredibly stern man, who is nearing 60 years old, is a bricklayer, and still works harder on a daily basis then I will probably ever be able to accomplish in a lifetime. He is like the offspring of Chuck Norris and the Dos Equis Most interesting man. He was so proud of me when he heard I got hired at State Farm and now I had to tell him I was quitting my job, and leaving the country for 11 months to spread God's Word and help less fortunate people. I thought he was going to punch through my chest, rip out my heart, and eat it while I watched. I told my mother first and just gave my dad the WR website…My dad called me about an hour after I told my mom and his exact words were, "Son, I've never been more proud in my entire life." With tears in his eyes……WHAT?! I felt like poking his forehead and being like…"Jesus? Jeeeeesus? Is that you?! And it was, I know it. God put it in my father's heart to understand and that is exactly what happened. I had God's answer. Go. It's time to make a change, to make a difference.
So the answer to why I decided to go on the World Race is simple…I didn't decide. Like always, God did.
